Mahmoud Dahoud struck the woodwork for Dortmund early on, but it was one-way traffic from the moment Mats Hummels headed in Thiago’s 10th-minute corner. The floodgates opened as Robert Lewandowski - having picked off Dan Axel-Zagadou’s errant sideways pass - dinked over the advancing Roman Bürki and scissor-kicked into the open net for his 200th Bundesliga goal. Bürki repelled further efforts from Thomas Müller and Hummels, before an ingenious Thiago free-kick paved the way for Javi Martinez to get in on the act from 18 yards. Serge Gnabry powered in Müller's clipped cross to cap an unerring first-half display.

The second period became an exercise in damage limitation for Dortmund as coach Lucien Favre sent on Julian Weigl for Zagadou. Bayern didn’t play with quite the same urgency, but still managed to carve out presentable opportunities for Lewandowski, who was a fraction away from turning in Kingsley Coman’s low cross, and Gnabry, who was unable to find the target following another laser-guided Thiago set-piece. Lewandowski met Gnabry's cross for his second of the night, the defending Bundesliga champions back in charge of their own destiny - a point clear and 14 goals better off than Dortmund - with only six rounds of fixtures left to play.